Gambit Cards
Gambit Cards are part of a future season's ruleset. They are not yet live in the alpha. This page previews the design.
Gambit Cards are the most disruptive cards in ChessVS. You pick a small hand of them before a match, and playing one at the right moment can flip a game.
The key facts
- Three uses per card. Every Gambit Card holds 3 uses. Playing it in a match spends one.
- Recharge with FOCUS. A card at 0 uses stays in your collection, inactive, until you recharge it. One use costs 25% of the card's FOCUS price; a full refill of all 3 uses costs 75%.
- Never expires. Gambit Cards are never cleared at season end and never deleted. A card keeps its uses from one season to the next.
- A hand of up to three. Before a match you choose up to 3 Gambit Cards to bring, all different. They sit beside your Battle Cards and take none of their slots.
- One play per match. However many you bring, you can play one Gambit Card per game.
- The start of your turn. Play it at the start of your own turn, before you declare a Battle Card or move. It runs on your own clock. You can't play one on your first move, or while your King is in check.
- Your opponent sees how many, not which. They know how many Gambit Cards you brought. When you play one, both of you (and anyone watching) see the card.
Where you can play them
| Game | Gambit Cards |
|---|---|
| Ranked | Yes |
| Casual | Yes |
| Friendly challenges | Yes |
| Practice against the AI | Yes (the AI doesn't play Gambits) |
| Tournaments | When the organizer allows them: off, Universal cards only, or all |
| Quick (no cards), Classic and Sovereign Duels | No |
Universal vs Club-Locked
| Type | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Universal | Anyone can play it |
| Club-Locked | Only a player of that card's club can play it |
Anyone can buy a club-locked card, but a Bitcoinia card can't be played by an Etheryst player. Iron Veil is the first card we've shown (see How to Play). The rest are revealed when they launch.
Getting Gambit Cards
- The Card Shop. Buy a Gambit Card with FOCUS. It arrives with 3 uses.
- The Market. Gambit Cards can be listed and bought between players, including cards at 0 uses. A listing shows how many uses the card has left, and the card changes hands with exactly those uses.
- Paid registration. Captain includes 2 Gambit Cards and Genesis includes 4. They wait as a credit until Gambit Cards are released, then you choose which Universal cards you want. Cards from a paid registration can't be traded or sold during the alpha. They carry over with you when the game fully launches: Battle Cards fully refreshed for free, Gambit Cards with the uses they have left.
The rivalry card
Universal · Post-match · Arriving in a later season
The rivalry card is special: it doesn't fire during a match. It fires on the results screen afterward.
Effect: After a ranked loss, you can challenge your opponent to an immediate rematch. It's a full ranked game under the normal rating rules, and the player who won the first game picks their color. Full rules will be published when the season launches.
Restrictions:
- Only the losing player can activate it, within 60 seconds of the result.
- Your opponent has 15 seconds to accept. If they decline or don't answer, your use isn't spent.
- Both players must have it equipped.
- Ranked matches only.
- Its use is spent only when the rematch actually starts.
Equipping the rivalry card means you can call opponents back after a loss, but they can also call you back after you beat them. Run it carefully.
Repeated rematches between the same two players are what build a tracked rivalry. (Rivalries →)